The trial is taking place at an undisclosed location
Manchester City face 115 charges over alleged breaches of Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules with the hearing set to get underway today.
The trial is expected to be one of, if not the biggest trials in sporting history.
The current Premier League champions were charged by the Premier League in February 2023 and fans have been left wondering why they have so far not been punished.
Both Everton and Nottingham Forest were punished last season with points deductions for lesser offences.
Why have City not yet been punished?
Premier League clubs previously voted to fast-track independent commissions for teams accused of overspending to ensure that any potential punishment would be as close as possible to any breach.
As a result, Everton and Forest were punished over breaking Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR).
However, the league argues that City’s case is different due to the depth, scale and complexity of the charges.
The Premier League argues that City’s case is a lot more time consuming and it will take longer to reach a punishment verdict however Everton believe they opened themselves up to a speedier punishment by cooperating with the League.
What are the charges?
City are charged with breaking FFP rules between 2009 to 2018 but the club denies any wrongdoing.
Of the 115 charges, there are 54 alleged breaches for failure to provide accurate and up-to-date financial information from 2009-10 to, and including, 2017-18.
There are 14 alleged breaches for failure to provide accurate financial reports for player and manager compensation from 2009-10 to, and including, 2017-18.
Meanwhile, there are five alleged breaches for failure to comply with UEFA’s regulations, including UEFA’s Club Licensing and FFP regulations and seven alleged breaches of the Premier League’s PSR from 2015-16 to, and including, 2017-18.
Furthermore, there are 35 alleged breaches for failure to cooperate with Premier League investigations from December 2018 to present.
If found guilty what will happen?
If they were to be found guilty, the punishment awaiting Pep Guardiola’s side could range from a massive fine to a points deduction, relegation or expulsion from the Premier League.
Last October, Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher suggested City could be relegated all the way down to the National League North.
Taking to X he ranted: “The PL (Premier League) want a 12 point deduction for Everton for one charge. Man City are going to end up in the National League North if the PL get their way!
“Unbelievable the amount of stories that come out about Everton’s situation, but Man City’s, which has 114 more charges [and] has gone on for much longer, has gone very quiet.”
Everton were hit with a ten-point deduction which was later reduced to a six-point deduction.
At the time, Sean Dyche said: “Just like everyone else, we are all wondering what makes one rule for one and one rule for the other. I think that’s the only thing. I don’t know the ins and outs for every reason, but I think we are all asking that. The people in the street are asking: ‘Why is it particularly Everton?’”
If you’re checking the sports news to see the verdict, don’t rush – the trial is expected to last for 10 weeks!
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